Making Love...

the perfume!

Five or six years ago, I started getting into natural perfumery.  I became fascinated with the other side of essential oils - blending purely for pleasure, the perfume aspect to working with botanics.

And then I became obsessed!

It's hard not to... with essential oils, infused oils, absolutes, tinctures and resins, there are infinite combinations of aromas to create... even just thinking about it I'm getting a little overwhelmed!

I started collecting bottles... single essential oils and absolutes... I had well over 100 in my collection... some were the from the same plant, grown in the same location, but from different companies so I could see the difference between different suppliers.  Some were from the same plant, but grown in different locations... different growing conditions like altitude and humidity can really change the aroma of an oil!  I still keep up a collection of vetivers... it's one of my favorite oils! 

I'd use all my free time to make blends... one drop of this, one drop of that, and ooh! what would this smell like blended in?  I started working on accords (blends to be blended with other blends!) and taking notes.. notebook after notebook of notes on notes! 

From the accords I would make new blends, take more notes, get new ideas, make more blends of more notes of more accords of blends of notes and notes and oils and blends... ahhhhhh...

And then, I decided to take a break... a long one... I wanted to bring my focus back to aromatherapy blends... less complex blends... ones where each oil would stand out and do its duty. 

I cut my collection back to about 20 different oils, and started working again on blending with a purpose... blends for aromatherapeutic use...

And around that time was when Wunder Budder was reborn...

Focusing my collection and my purpose on aromatherapy allowed Winter to be created and released as Wunder Budder's first official aromatherapy blend!

I remained focused, releasing two more aromatherapy blends, and blends for lip balms and  facial care. 

Blending for a purpose is both easier and more difficult with its limitation... With this kind of blending, I wanted to be more careful about my choices... that meant using only oils that were generally safe for skin applications and giving up ones like bergamot (one of my favorites!) that were great for inhalation but weren't skin safe, according to my two safety manuals and IFRA standards.  By limiting my options, I had fewer choices to work with but it also stimulated the scientific aspect of my thinking, which sometimes I think is no different from my creative side(!), to pick the oils best suited for their application.  It was fun and I stayed focused...

Until I started making Love, the aromatherapy blend.

Even from the start it seemed more like a perfume blend than an aromatherapy blend... I wanted to make something that could try to illustrate the feeling of falling love.. all kinds of love... spicy and flirty on the outside, blossoming into a floral heart, leading into a deep sweetness.  The full aroma.  Which needed oils to match it.

I started off with the base... the deep sweetness... labdanum!  On it's own, labdanum is layered... it's not traditionally used in aromatherapy, but it's so sweet and innocent and long lasting, there was no way I could make a blend about love without it.  Plus as one of my other favorites (I have a lot of them!), I just really wanted to work with it again.  And vetiver!  It's deep earthy aroma just had to be included.  And oh, they just smell so good together!  And cocoa!  What if I added a little cocoa (actually, cacao) to the mix?  A deep dark chocolaty addition to the vanilla-like aroma of labdanum with a little vetiver thrown in to keep it from being too candy-like?  Yes!  Would I usually use cocoa in an aromatherapy blend?  No, but the three just smelled so good together!

Then I moved onto the middle/heart note... jasmine... it had to be jasmine... alone, jasmine is both spicy and sweet and deeply floral... it was necessary... and then rose... rose!  Rose would calm the jasmine a bit with it's softness.  Both are also often included in aphrodisiac blends, so what could be better as a heart note for Love?

It smelled amazing so far, but it needed something else... a top note... something spicy that would jump out first, but also act as a lead in to the rest of the blend... clove!  Clove, which to my nose acts as both a top and a middle note... clove would be the perfect grabber... the top note that would both jump out and blend in.

And after a few weeks, I declared Love, the aromatherapy blend, finished.  I was in love with Love.  I added the labels for inhalers and aroma sprays into my big order and put it aside for release after Christmas.

But, I couldn't stay away.

It just smelled so good.

And, the more I smelled it, the more I smelled ghost aromas... ones that my imagination added to the blend... I had planned on keeping perfumery at bay for at least another year until Wunder Budder (the business at a whole) was stabilized, but Love was drawing me in.  I couldn't put it down.

It was like it wanted me to add something to it... like, it had its own personality and it was calling me... please, please, just try this one other essential oil, I promise you won't be disappointed.  But you have so much going on already, Love, you don't need anything else...

It won.

The blend was calling out for was another one of my favorite oils from the Perfume Years... I ordered it, added it, smelled it, and it fit perfectly.  And called out for another oil... and another... and another... until I finally gave in to what was happening, and almost as if it created itself, Love the perfume was born.

As someone that usually uses only a small amount of grain alcohol in blends, both to extend the shelf life of certain creations and to help carry the scent, I was nervous about creating an alcohol based perfume instead of the jojoba based perfumes I've experimented with in the past.

Jojoba oil and alcohol as carriers bring different things to blends... but, I discovered that my heavy-handedness with base notes (a personal preference, and thought of by me as a curse until I settled into my own blending personality) worked really well with an alcohol carrier!  Together, the grain alcohol (not the standard perfumer's alcohol, ethanol, which can sometimes be extracted from petroleum products instead of plants) and the blend created a perfume that was even... it didn't, it doesn't, come on too strong or fade too fast... it changes, like natural perfumes are meant to, but it changes at a nice even pace.  I fell in love with Love all over again.

With the use of oils more rare and complicated and beautiful than many oils traditionally used in aromatherapy, came a higher price which needed to be matched with fancier packaging than my usual amber glass bottles.

Love eau de parfume, 46mL

Deciding on packing was almost as fun as creating the perfume!  What would match the aroma best... oh, a clear glass bottle with an old-fashioned black fabric bulb atomizer?  Yes! 

But, what if someone didn't want a full sized (46mL) bottle of Love?  Is there something smaller?  Oh, a heart shaped(!) 4mL bottle with a gold cap and red tassel, to be used for fingertip application?  Yes yes yes!

I had found the vessels for Love.

Love eau de parfum, 4mL

 And then, I decided to add one more option... a simple glass atomizer, 4mL, perfect for purses and filled with Love as an eau de toilette!

I was done, and now it's almost time to share Love with all of you and I can't wait!  All three (eau de parfum strength in 46mL and 4mL, and eau de toilette strength in 4mL) will be released on February 1st, 2011.  Finally!

Only a few months in the making, this was a short time for a perfume to go from idea to creation to packaging to offering.  Perfumers sometimes take years before they feel their masterpiece is ready.  I love that it's a perfume based on an aromatherapy blend, and maybe that's why it didn't take as long as many perfumes traditionally do. Or, maybe it's that I'm not really a perfumer...

I just like to make things that smell good.

XoXo,
Lisa

Experience Love!
Read the Press Release

Love living naturally with Wunder Budder!

www.wunderbudder.com

2010 from beginning to end, or Gratitude, part II

This has been one long, crazy year!  I almost wouldn't believe everything that happened, but since I lived through it, I kind of have to believe it.  These are just some things I've felt this year....

Scared

       Awestruck                            Strong                                                       Grateful

Failure

Supported                              Lucky                                                                     Crazy

   Stress                                                            Fear

Proud                                                                      Creative                                     Alone

                                                  Falling down down down

Excited                                         Dreamy

                Independent                                                                         Needy

                                       Shaky                                              Obsessed

Loved

But today.. after taking a few days "off" (working was optional, but I couldn't help myself!), I'm feeling a surge of gratitude.. everything has settled, and before it gets all crazy again I'm letting thankfulness engulf me.

I'd like to say thank you to (in no particular order)...

Chris & Brenda at Front Street Coffeehouse... there's a reason why you guys have such loyal customers, and why none of us employees ever want to leave.. there has been so many days that I've gone into work in bad mood and work cheered me up.. not many people get to say that.. FSC is where I met my husband and most of my friends.. you've given me a meeting point, a beginning in Salem (it's also where I was when my first apartment back here fell upon me.. I knew that hanging out at FSC would find me a place to live!), a job when I needed it, and now where you've given Wunder Budder an outlet to start and grow.. I'm grateful not only for what you've done for Wunder Budder this year, but for all of those things and just for being who you are.

Not only to Chris and Brenda, but everyone that works at Front Street and everyone that goes there who had and has a part in Wunder Budder's growth.. everyone behind the counter who told people that Wunder Budder was awesome and that they should try it.. everyone who put the logo stickers on their phones, iPods, bikes, books.. Elise and Deirdre.. I joke that you guys keep me in business, but I'm not completely joking.. thank you for everything you've tried, everything you've given to other people, and for just being awesomely supportive..

And an additional thank you for the Front Street studio days.. to Chris and Brenda for letting me set up, and to everyone that did their Christmas shopping at my table!  December was the best month ever for Wunder Budder.. if I could keep it up, I might even be able to pay myself this coming year!

My husband who has been even more amazing this year.. picking up my slack everywhere he can and being supportive on every possible level.. I feel so amazingly lucky every day with you Mikey!

My family.. my awesome mom, brother, cousin, aunt, parents-in-law.. you've all helped me in different ways this year, and I'm grateful for every thing you've done.. all the help you've given me, the shows you've come to.. I don't want to list everything, just know that I love you, appreciate your support, and realize how lucky I am to have you as my family.

Midge at Green Clean for being so encouraging and doing things like bringing me hammers when I need them and spreading the Wunder Budder love through gifts to her clients.. I don't think you always know how awesome you are!

Jane.. you came over and washed dishes when I was freaking out.. dishes!  Along with everything else you've done this year, I'm so grateful for that dish day!

All of Wunder Budder's Facebook fans.. thank you for liking Wunder Budder, for wanting to keep up with what's going on, for your comments, for sharing.. You've grown to almost 1000 in this first year.. you're the best!

Everyone that purchased Wunder Budder this year, or had any part at all in our growth.. thank you, thank you, thank you.  You're helping me live my dream.

Wunder Budder is having a birthday/thank you sale on January 1st, with 20% off your entire online purchase no matter how big or how small.  I've also decided to offer free standard shipping (regular shipping restrictions apply) for this day because 20% off just didn't seem like thank you enough.  If you're running out of or have been been eyeing something, this is a good time to pick it up!

www.wunderbudder.com

Use code Celebrate2010 at checkout

and

click FREE Standard Shipping 01/01/11

Talk to you next year!

XoXo,

Lisa

The Big Confession...

I've written blogs over the past couple months, and then deleted them without posting.

I felt like I was complaining and I don't want to seem like I don't love Wunder Budder or that I'm not grateful for how everything has gone in this first year of business.

But then a friend reminded me that this blog was meant to be about my first year (and beyond...) in business, including the bad things.

So here's my big confession...

Starting a business is hard!

Like, really hard!

And, it's not that I didn't know it going in.. I just didn't know it, know it. 

I've discovered that it's really hard to stop working.  When I'm not making stuff, I'm researching, or improving the website, or experimenting, or ordering.. I'm the formulator, the accountant, the sales rep, the advertising and marketing team, the designer, the delivery person, the customer service, etc.. It can sometimes be overwhelming but, almost as bad, addictive!

When I start to feel overworked, I'll take a day off.. but then all that work needs to be made up.  If I take two days off.. disaster! 

So, usually I decide just to work through it until I'm so overworked, underslept and non-home-cooked-mealed out, I end up getting sick. Then I go into emergency mode and have to take days off at my "day job" so I can get work done and still try to heal.. then my paycheck decreases, more stress piles on and on and on until I start having doubts that I can make it and start to think everythingisfallingapart and I'mgoingtofail!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

And then everything comes together again.

Luckily, I can look into mistakes and take something from them.. I'm really good at it.. no regrets because everything is a learning experience and learning is part of growing and growing is one of my favorite things about being alive. 

This January will be all about change.. behind the scenes... reorganizing my studio, business stuff and mind... working on wholesale and spreading (hey, spreading!) Wunder Budder further away from home... finding ways to work regular hours while still getting done what needs to get done... taking everything I've learned this year, and doing a bunch of stuff with it, all at once.  Fixing what's broken and getting ready to make a bunch of new mistakes.

I'm ok with that.

XoXo,
Lisa

Wunder Budder

Natural skincare & aromatherapy,

handcrafted with love

www.wunderbudder.com

08/24/10

Recently I've been thinking about advertising and marketing.

I saw this amazing ad.. It was for Oreo cookies (can I talk about name brands freely?).. it was some sort of thing holding liquid.. a glass, a mug, a bowl.. filled with milk.  It looked like a giant swimming pool full of milk.  Two bendy straws were bent over the side, representing a ladder to climb up and jump in.  In the middle of the pool, an Orea cookie was floating, just a small edge submerged, in the milk pool.

I really wanted an Oreo cookie.

It was amazing.

Day 2.

Is one blog every day too much?

I'm not sure I'd read a blog that posted every day.

Maybe I would.  I don't know.

Anyway, hi!

Today I worked at the coffeeshop, so I didn't get to spend much time in the studio.  I made it to the post office and to Target, and did some online work, but that's about it.  All day I was thinking about things I'd like to do in the studio.  And then all the things that I could get done if I could work there five days a week.  And how I'd even have the weekend off, every week.

It may not happen for a while, but I'm really looking forward to that day.

While the wax was melting...

Today was very frustrating.  I'm tired, head-achey, and still not back to normal from last weeks crappiness (personal, not Wunder Budder).  I've been at the studio for most of the day, getting really frustrated with pretty much everything I'm doing.  I've written and erased this blog three times (there was a lot of venting and complaining involved), but I'm now remembering why I started this in the first place.

I wanted to write about my first year in business.  The good, the bad, and the melty.  Today was all three.

I originally wanted to write it for anyone interested in the story of Wunder Budder, anyone who is also starting their own business and can maybe learn from my (many!) mistakes, anyone who just likes to read blogs, and for myself.  So far, I've enjoyed the randomness of my blogs, but just a minute ago decided that I'm going to get down to it.

I'm going to write something every day.  Or, at least try to.  Short, long, good, bad, praising the world or venting.

So, there it is.  Today you were spared my icky rantings because I feel like I got it all out, but in the future there will probably be some not 100% positive posts.

I hope you'll keep reading anyway....

Lisa

Lisa at Wunder Budder
www.wunderbudder.com
Don't forget to smile!

Left Hand, Right Hand!

A year or so ago, a friend was cleaning out her attic.  She found something left over from a previous dweller and she sent this something to me.

I opened the package and inside was a book.  An old orange hardcover book.  Orange happens to be my favorite color, and old books are some of my favorite things, so I was very excited to get this book.  But, it gets better...

The spine reads, "The Sociology of the Future".  What a great title!  But it gets better still...

I opened the book, and instead of loose flippable pages I found the pages glued together with a carefully carved hole in the middle.

This book was not only old, orange and had a great title.. it was a handmade secret hiding space!  I love this book.  I should probably mention here that I love secrets as much as I love old orange hardcover books!  It was a perfect present for me, and I'm still grateful that she picked me to send it to.

Flashforward to today...

My husband was sick, so I stayed home with him.  I had all this unplanned free time and wasn't quite sure how to fill it.  I can't quite remember how I got on this track, but I ended up sitting on my couch with the Dictionary of Symbols and a notebook on my lap.  I slowly went through all 500+ pages and wrote down symbols.. ancient symbols, symbols for alchemy and early chemistry.. then I started to organize them in ways I could use them.. oils and salts, waxes and alcohols.. I just didn't have enough, so I modified some and made up a few more to cover butters and essential oils and different herbs..

I blended up a new language of symbols and began to rewrite formulas for Wunder Budder, creating my own personal book of Wunder Budder secret code!

As I was writing in my scribbly falling apart notebook, I started thinking about what this secret code would become.. an amazing book full of symbols that only I would understand, dried flower bits and other pieces that fit into the future history of Wunder Budder.

I needed a book with blank pages.  I needed an old orange hardcover book like the one my friend had sent me, but I needed it to be full of blank pages just waiting to filled with the secret codes of Wunder Budder...

I remembered a small handmade book I used to have and searched our apartment, but I had no luck.  Our apartment is full of other really cool things, but the little book was nowhere to be found.

I came back to my seat on the couch, picked up my computer and took my chances searching Etsy.. I was hoping for a handmade book.. maybe one of handmade recycled fiber pages.. maybe one with a tree on the front.. maybe one with a spiral binding.. I didn't know.. I really wanted the twin of my old orange hardcover book, but one with pages I could write on.

That's when I saw Left Hand, Right Hand!  That's the acual title.. with an excalmation point.  It not only says Left Hand, Right Hand, it's excited about saying it!  If you haven't noticed already, I also love exclamation points!

Left Hand, Right Hand! is an old orange hardcover book, with an amazing title.  Just about the same size as my book with the secret hole.. its twin!  Only inside this new book are pages.. blank pages carefully put together and inserted into an old orange hardcover with an amazing title.

I bought it without a second thought.  When the creator sent me an email soon after, expressing her curiousity of what I would use her amazing book for, I was happy to tell her this story... a shortened version.. and then I just had to tell it again to all of you.

Thanks to my sick husband (he'll be fine by the way), my insomnia, and the creative mind of the Etsy seller, I will soon begin to scribe Wunder Budder formulas, in secret code, inside of an old orange hardcover book.

Left Hand, Right Hand!  I couldn't ask for a better name.

Today was a good day.